Pakistan on August 13 called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council following India's decision to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, which Islamabad says threatens international peace and could lead to ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Muslim-majority region.
India’s Hindu nationalist-led government on August 5 announced it was revoking Indian Kashmir’s special constitutional status and downgrading its statehood.
India said on August 13 that is easing its lockdown in the Himalayan region in a "phased manner" after cutting off mobile, landline, and Internet networks, as well as enforcing a curfew nine days ago.
In an address to the nation on August 8, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move would allow New Delhi to rid the region of “terrorism and separatism.”
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a letter to the Council, denounced "recent aggressive actions" by India's Hindu nationalist-led government, saying they "willfully undermine the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir."
Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan and divided between them. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule for decades and most Kashmiri residents want independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Qureshi also accused India of implementing a "racist ideology" aimed at turning Kashmir from a Muslim-majority into a Hindu-majority territory.
Before Kashmir's semiautonomous status was scrapped, Indians couldn’t settle or buy property in the region.
Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz of Poland, which holds the Council presidency this month, said members would discuss the letter.
He said "strained relations between India and Pakistan negatively affect the whole South Asia region."
India Says Kashmir Lockdown Easing As Pakistan Calls For Urgent UN Meeting
Updated

Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Four Years On, UN Says Taliban Close To 'Erasing' Afghan Women From Public Life
2After Key Report On Afghanistan, State Department Says Taliban Was Keeping Aid
3Kabul's Quiet Resistance: Young Afghans Navigate Life Under The Taliban
4Bad Move: Taliban's Chess Ban Adds To Crackdown On Sports And Pastimes
5World Food Program Warns Of 'Unprecedented' Hunger Crisis In Afghanistan
6Russia Boosts The Taliban's Quest For Legitimacy. Who Will Be Next?
7China Dangles Belt And Road Investment To Mend Taliban-Pakistan Ties
8UK Data Leak Spurs Costly Afghan Resettlement And Security Fears
9Taliban Restrictions Blamed For Surge In Suicides Among Afghans
10Death Toll Rises As Heavy Rains Devastate Northwestern Pakistan
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.